Comprehensive Survival Guide
The article was taken from the magazine "Best Computer Games." I do not consider it a copy-paste, as I wrote it myself.) Created before version 1.4, but that's for the best - I won't spoil your interest in the game; try out M-16 and barricading for yourself. It will provide the necessary basis. There are a lot of words, keep that in mind.
It seems, what's so special about zombies? Just thinking - flesh without a soul, what's the big deal! However, these slightly rotting, slow creatures, trying to grunt something in their defense, and even somewhat touching, continue to conquer the hearts of players. The game I intend to tell you about is just like that. Despite the fact that it's just a network modification, Zombie Panic surpasses many commercial products in terms of excitement and depth. Interestingly, in the end, even people from Valve paid attention to the developers and promised to add this mod to the list of Steam games. But for now, let's find out how to properly hunt for the undead...
The first version of Zombie Panic was a good pastime, but it had many drawbacks. The maps showed no balance, zombies killed with one hit, had truly inhuman health, and the weapons were borrowed from the original game...
The creators of the new product bet on atmosphere... and they didn’t regret it. Moreover, the engine itself was revamped beyond recognition. Almost everything was changed — Source only keeps the crowbar, physics, and menu design style. The sound accompaniment isn't so genius that you'd want to listen to it outside of the game, but it does a solid job of immersing the player into this dark world. Playing becomes eerie, especially considering the maps... Brr... But more on them later.
Overall, balance is maintained, but zombies tend to win more often. This mainly occurs due to respawning and the gradual depletion of humans regarding ammo. Zombies have no interest in selling them, like in the joke about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Well, we praised the modification, and now let's examine each side in detail.
Interesting fact: rounds in the game are endless, except on maps where you need to survive a certain amount of time to win. Therefore, people hiding in a dark corner generate understandable hatred. Don't do that, respect your opponents.
Humans
What can a live person do that a dead one cannot? First and foremost, let's talk about speed! Living beings are 20% faster than the dead, and it seems wonderful. But at the same time, they have a parameter, endurance. It dictates movement speed, and over time, it decreases. Its expenditure depends on the amount of gear you're carrying — no one forbids you to burden yourself with all kinds of weapons, ammo, and vests, but you'll almost immediately exhaust yourself. The tactic of a heavily armed but slow tank exists here, of course, but it's not welcome. Usually, to leverage the advantages of a greater number of weapons, you need to run to some cover where it's easier to hold out, but if you’re moving at a turtle’s speed, you won’t make it — you'll get eaten.
Of course, you can instantly restore endurance for 5 seconds — using "panic" (default key is p). When this mode is activated, all weapons and ammo are dropped except for what’s in hand. Typically, this move is used when zombies have devoured all the defenders except you, and you desperately want to live. The function is extremely useful and it's no wonder it's highlighted in the game's title.
Another trait of humans is their ability to use flashlights. The batteries are infinite, which is very pleasing — what good is a flashlight that runs out of juice in 10 seconds, as often happens in many games?
Interesting fact: quick commands for messaging are styled like Battlefield — a circular window from which we choose the needed phrase (default keys are x and c). It’s amusing that phrases do not appear in the chat, so you need to react by ear. For instance, by pressing z, the character will curse. Although something more useful than abstract emotional expressions would be something like, "Give me ammo, you bastards!"
Humans, strangely enough, use weapons, health kits, and vests. The most common question from newcomers is — how do you buy items here? The correct answer is — you don’t. All weapons are found on the map. The living start with some piece of junk, a pistol, and ten rounds for it. You can share ammo by pressing t and v. The latter allows you to choose the type of ammo, while the former lets you drop it.
Important note: if your character is injured, the screen turns red. Blood must be filling your eyes. It's quite hard to see anything through the red veil, and that’s very unpleasant. Experiments with graphics options don’t help. Get used to it.
Humans do not see who killed whom, nor do they know who plays as zombies and who as humans. They only have access to a complete list of players recorded within the survivors' team. However, how many they actually are can be learned by asking in chat or via voice communication. If the response you hear is promising silence, it means you’re alone, and it’s time to panic.
Interestingly, some players think they can hide in a dark corner and the zombies won’t find them. However, the developers have foreseen a witty protection against such behavior — if a human stays alone for too long, they start talking to themselves quite loudly, and over time, they do this almost continuously. As you can guess, it's much easier to find them this way. On the other hand, the map can be large. Overall, the balance is maintained.
Zombies
Modern xenobiologists distinguish two types of zombies — white, which I prefer to call alpha-zombies, and the regular ones that emerge from players. The differences between them are radical. Let’s start with the fact that you can only become a white zombie at the beginning of a round by choosing the corresponding faction to join. You need a bit of luck here, as three zombie players are selected at the start.
An "alpha" has more health (250 compared to 200 for a regular zombie), a stronger hit (35 health points per hit compared to 25), and has the unique ability to infect humans upon hitting them. So how does this work?
With every hit, there is a certain probability that the human will get infected. At first, they will cough, then instead of a health indicator, several spiky dots will appear, and finita la comedia — transformation into a corpse. This unpleasant event will occur in about a minute. It’s especially delightful when a zombie appears in a barricaded room and, thanks to the surprise factor, devours everyone present. The infection probability is determined by server parameters, for instance — "65% infection" indicates that there is a 65% chance of infection. If you've infected someone or see an infected, it’s best not to touch them — they’ll die on their own, and if you’re lucky, may bite another.
Important note: when a player gets infected, the Friendly Fire mode becomes active for their teammates — even if it's turned off on the server. However, you can only kill the infected.
Zombies regenerate seven health points every two seconds. This allows them to loom in front of enemies, take damage, bounce back, regenerate, jump again — and so on until their ammo runs out.
All zombies can run. This is controlled by the Feed-o-meter, a satiety indicator. Initially, there are 6 segments, which is enough for 4 seconds of sprinting. But then the rotting zombie muscles kick in, and you can’t run until you bite a person (one segment is restored for each bite or hit).
The walking dead have something called Zombie Vision, which is like thermal vision. In it, all living players are marked in red, and the more injured they are, the brighter their color, and if a player is infected, they look green.
Zombies can easily push objects — it’s easier for them than for humans since they only need to press one key. This ability is great for breaking barricades, especially if they bend over and crawl carefully to avoid being noticed. Then they can break down defenses and slip inside.
They don’t use quick commands but can growl (z). If one player hides behind a wall and continuously growls, it can be quite scary. Even if there’s only one zombie, and you have fifteen people behind the barricade.
The developers made it so that zombies by default hear what humans say via voice communication, and what they say themselves, while humans — only their own. This can provide a significant tactical advantage and many interesting moments.
The dead take only 13 points of damage from falling from any height. This is easily verified on the "Subway" map, where falling down the elevator shaft causes exactly that amount of damage. Interestingly, if they jump from a lower height, it will still deal 13 damage. Such is the happy undead number.
And most importantly — zombies can respawn as long as they have lives left. The number of lives is indicated in the upper left corner. Usually, there are 25 lives, but on mission maps, they are infinite. However, if there’s only one zombie on a regular map, he has just 10 lives.
Gear
Weapons in the game are made with love. Especially the junk. And most importantly — there are no categorically useless types of weapons; any can be useful in a specific situation. That very junk even includes the starting pistol.
You can’t unload weapons, but if you try to pick up something you already have, the ammo from it will automatically move to your backpack, while the weapon itself stays on the ground. However, keep in mind that for shotguns, which take a long time to reload, this is not very convenient, so it’s better to pick up an empty gun and reload it in advance.
Melee Weapons
There are as many types here as perhaps in no other game. Except perhaps for Condemned. What can you use to bring joy to your close one?
Just about anything — a vent, a crowbar, a golf club, a water pipe, a shovel, a frying pan, a pot, a keyboard, a folding chair, a stick with nails, a hammer, an axe, a wrench, and a machete (which seems more like a kukri, but everyone stubbornly calls it a katana), a cue, and a bunch of other stuff. After using these handy items, I concluded that the most powerful in this class are the axe, machete, hammer, shovel, and... frying pan. Interestingly, when comparing by speed of damage, the frying pan wins. It deals about 40 health points of damage per hit, which occurs once every second.
A squad of five "pan-wielders" can defeat an equivalent squad of zombies without any losses.
Pistols
There are several types in the game — PPK, Glock17c, Glock18c, and USP. The PPK has seven rounds in the magazine, which makes it immediately less viable as that's too few for engaging successfully. A frying pan is a better option, honestly. The models of the Glocks are practically identical, with 17 rounds in each, except the 18th model is slightly more powerful. But the better option is USP. It has only two rounds fewer compared to the Glock, but its stopping power is significantly higher.
When it comes to taking down zombies, pistols do remarkably well. About eight bullets to the head or neck will correctly convince an “alpha” to lie down and take a rest. Therefore, many players don’t bother looking for other weapons and run around with pistols. The ammo looks like a red box. The maximum you can carry in your backpack is 45.
Magnum
There’s one revolver in this class, but it’s the deadliest weapon in the entire game. With one shot, it can take out a regular zombie and nearly kill a white one. However, you must shoot for the head, as it only deals about 233 health points. Shooting at the body isn’t very effective — only about 40 points. If a trained player manages to get their hands on the revolver — it’s the death of all the dead on the server. And as for fighting snipers who show up from Counter-strike, it’s a mystery — they’re used to enemies jumping in close and trying to kill them, using jumps, crouches, side-to-side running, so they easily land shots to the head from any position at any distance. There are 6 rounds in the cylinder. Ammo comes in a gray box. The maximum amount of ammo is 18.
Shotguns
There are two types of shotguns — “Super shorty” (like a sawed-off shotgun) and a classic. There’s no point in choosing between them as the classic one is better in every respect — it does more damage (110 if shot in the head, compared to about 90-100 for the sawed-off), and has a higher ammo capacity (six rounds compared to three).
This weapon is very effective for defending barricades, specifically when shooting heads of zombies attempting to charge in, as well as during retreats (the zombies see that you’re fleeing, enter a hunting frenzy and stop attempting to dodge. Which means that two shots will take care of a corpse).
The ammo comes in square red boxes, familiar from movies. The maximum you can carry is 24 rounds. From personal experience, shotgun ammo is the heaviest.
Automatic Weapons
There are two types available — MP5 and AK-47. Each has the same round count — 30, but the other characteristics differ. For instance, in many games, we’re used to the MP5 shooting very accurately even in long bursts, but here it’s quite different. Its recoil is enormous, even more than the Kalashnikov. So it's better to use the latter. Moreover, the Kalashnikov has envy-invoking stopping power.
You need to shoot in short bursts not only to reduce recoil but also to conserve ammo. It takes about eight bullets to take down one zombie if you shoot at the head or neck, hence the ammo runs out really quickly since players most frequently aim for the body. The ammo comes in yellow boxes. The maximum you can carry is 100 rounds.
Grenades
They are rare, but one explosion can wipe out an entire enemy squad of zombies, and even the white one will be killed if close enough. You can throw grenades in two ways, like in Half-life 2 — just throw it far or toss it at your feet.
There’s a great tactic: when you realize you’re about to be eaten, and a grenade is lying around in your backpack — pull it out and hit "fire" at least a second before your death. Even if you didn’t manage to throw it, it will fall primed, and zombies often don’t hurry to run away. This is especially valid at the end of a round when no one can move. This way, you can take out up to 6 enemies at once. Interestingly, even if you didn’t manage to activate it, it could still explode. Whether it’s a bug or intentional design, who knows? It’s best to throw them from behind barricades when the zombies cluster to take apart your fortifications.
Body Armor
Provides 50 extra points of protection. However, health is also taken away with a hit — specifically, a normal zombie’s bite will take away 20 points of armor and 5 health, while a white one takes 28 and 7 respectively. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you get killed in one hit even in body armor. It doesn’t affect movement speed, and they usually lie around in hidden places.
Health Kits
There are two kinds — the large one, resembling that from Half-life (restores 45 health points), and the small can (10 points). The latter is often confused with stationary interior details. Be careful and do not waste them unnecessarily.
General Tactics
Well — after meeting the deadly automatics and frying pans, it’s time to move closer to the body... I mean, I meant to say — to the action!
Humans
We spawn at the start. Immediately drop the junk we have, turn on the flashlight (the keys for this are conveniently located next to each other), and rush through the level in search of weapons and ammo. Some think it’s better to activate panic right away, but that’s useless — you have full endurance at the start, and little burdens. It’s better to save it for later.
Upon finding some valuable weapons, preferably with ammo, we run to any cover where players gather, as one in the field is not a warrior. You can run around the level looking for more prizes, but zombies will also activate in the meantime and might bite you. After that, discuss what weapons everyone has and share ammo. It’s hard to overcome the instinct of a hoarder, but by sharing, you’ll gain the ammo you need, if they have any from your comrades.
What are the criteria for good shelter?
One entrance. This is rare, and you should remember that one entrance means one exit.
Many indestructible items that can block the entrance. Ideally, they should be heavy so zombies can’t push them back.
Weapons and health kits within the shelter itself. Not necessary, but very helpful.
If there are many entrances, the passes should be narrow, so zombies can enter one at a time, exposing their heads.
In cover, we sit and fend off the dead. If we are lucky, we’ll simply kill all the enemies. If not, the zombies will manage to jump inside and start eating the comrades. Then, the only way out is to attempt to escape. The key is not to confuse the moments when it’s still possible to fend them off and when it’s time to panic.
You should shoot in turns so that at least someone keeps their ammo. This should be done in the following order:
First, players with shotguns shoot from the barricades at close range, delivering maximum damage.
Then, players with revolvers shoot at the heads that appear.
Next, players with pistols don’t let zombies get inside. Don’t forget about grenades either.
And when zombies burst into the shelter, the automatic-gun shooter opens fire.
Important note: when you press "H" your weapon is holstered. Why is this useful? It allows you to push objects using the right mouse button. Many don’t know about this option since if there’s no object in reach, the character refuses to kick fresh air. This command is very useful, especially for building barricades. If you just push objects using the attack key, the process will be slow, but using this way, objects can be sent flying at a considerable distance.
Fleeing from a zombie-cleared room resembles Assassin’s Creed after an assassination target — the same avoidance of skirmishes, almost the same parkour (as moving in a straight line can lead to running into zombies), and eventually, one needs to hide somewhere or engage in the last fight. Often, both.
Zombies
Zombie tactics rarely depend on the map. At the start of a round on a full server, there are three dead — one white and two regular. You should spread out and try to bite as many humans as possible to bolster the army. If luck is on your side and you’re playing as an alpha, rushing into the enemy crowd, don’t focus on a single target — try to hit as many as possible so at least one gets infected. This is especially beneficial on servers where the infection chance is 100%.
When everyone you didn't eat immediately is killed, it's time to prepare for the assault. If there are multiple entrances, you should storm from both, distracting attention from one while attacking from the other. If that fails, you need to loom in front of them, provoking shots, hiding, bouncing back after taking damage, and healing. Meanwhile, several teams of zombies should attack those who are settled in less secure shelters.
Soon enough, their ammo will run out, and it’ll be time for the final assault. After busting through barricades, burst inside, and commence the genocide. If someone manages to climb onto a cabinet while waving junk, it’s best to jump around trying to bite the living at their heel. Sooner or later, you will succeed. However, there is a chance that humans will find themselves in an inaccessible hideout (and they do exist, and I'll tell you where and how to deal with them), making it quite challenging to flush them out. You could always try to appeal to a live player’s conscience. But I'll say it straight — it doesn't work. They are shameless... Humans, what can you do...
The final step is catching the survivors. If the location is sealed, you don't even have to think twice — just eat everyone at once. But if there’s an exit through which you cannot break in, like a window, you could set a couple of zombies below.
There are also various amusing tactics. For instance, if there’s a fire ignited behind one of the defending players, you can burst in like a wild hawk and start kicking the person. Naturally, they panic, automatically springing backward, landing in the fire and starting to burn. Most often, they don’t survive. From my experience, that’s quite frustrating. I call this a psychological attack.
Maps
I have prepared an overview of several of the most successful maps, in my opinion, that are official. Perhaps we will return to the others later. For now, enjoy reading and studying. A list of the most interesting shelters and the locations of weapons is attached.
Subway
There are actually two varieties of this map — Zpo_Subway and Zps_Subway. I never thought the subway could be so convoluted. There are at least three levels, numerous transitions, ventilation shafts, stairs... In the end, even veterans, who have played many times, get lost, and you often hear cries of “How do I get to the first platform?!" Zpo is a mission map where you need to launch a train and get away. Along the way, you’ll often have to press buttons and open doors. Zps differs in that all passages are initially opened, and you just need to kill zombies. Let's take a closer look at the maps.
ZPO
To launch the train, you need to do the following.
1. Grab the key card on your way to the generator room. There are two ways to get there — through the train (you’ll see it) and through the cafeteria. The second way is longer but allows you to find an automatic gun and ammo. If you go through the train, note that you can find body armor inside, and in the restroom beside the main stairs to the first platform, there’s a shotgun. In the room with the key, there’s another shotgun with ammo.
2. Pull the lever in the generator room. A two-minute countdown will start, after which the metal doors to another generator will open in the Cargo Room (above them is a sign with 6m). There are two generators behind them; we need the one next to the moving transformer. After two minutes following the train’s departure, the door will open, and you can escape. By the way, you might see the exit “Plan B” (if you don’t make it to the train). It’s the gate marked with a sign saying 6m above it.
Important note: while in the Cargo Room, don’t forget to close the “window,” which has the zombie spawn point. The button you need is right below the hatch. The hatch is at the wall farthest from the stairs. Now they only have one way left — by the stairs from where you came. It’s narrow, so it’s easy to hold them off there.
3. And here the door has opened. We descend to the generator, breaking through wooden obstacles with junk. There lies a revolver (ammo will be found along the way). Press the button and return to the same Cargo Room, where we wait another minute until the...
Large doors on the floor open. We then go through the long tunnel to the train. Do not make a mistake; there are two tunnels, one will lead you nowhere. We want the one that is longer. On the way, there may be a shotgun or automatic weapon, pick it up. Go through the train (there’s a revolver and shotgun ammo inside), climb up to the platform, and break down the door to the security room. There are several health kits, another body armor, an automatic weapon, two packs of ammo, and a grenade. Press the button. Now you need to head back to the generator room.
4. Walk along the beam through the hole in the wall. Go up the stairs to the ventilation hatch, then move from the roof of the elevator down the stairs. As you ascend, remember that zombies can drop many objects into the elevator shaft, blocking your movement up to the point where it’s impossible to ascend. Then you’ll have to go back the long way, which most likely means defeat. Let’s assume you made it up successfully. Go straight ahead; at the first turn, turn left. There’s the generator room. Press the button. The train is launched and will travel in three minutes. And you need to hurry to make it.
But that’s not all. There’s one important aspect: we should not return via the cafeteria but through the generator room directly to the train. The reason is simple — zombies can press the button in the warden’s booth at the turnstiles, and then the door to the stairs will close. It’s very frustrating to reach it with the last bits of ammo by two people only to find you’re stuck there (yes, I’ve been through this). Once the door closes, it won’t reopen.
Upon reaching the train, don’t forget to look at the ceiling — zombies can hide on the beams. All you have left to do is fend them off and jump on the train. If it fails — you know about the “Plan B.”
Playing as zombies here is simpler. First, they have an infinite number of lives. Second, they respawn in a special room that living players cannot access, while zombies can teleport from there to the generator room, to the cafe... The key is to act as a crowd and catch humans at various stages of their travels. Then, they won’t reach their destination. And don’t forget to close the door from the warden’s booth.
ZPS
The second option is a kill-or-be-killed mode. Here, all the doors are already open, so you can immediately start scavenging for weapons. A huge crowd of humans will rush to the security room, barricading themselves and shooting zombies. This room is particularly convenient due to numerous items for barricading, weapons, health kits, and body armor.
There are also other places for barricading, but they’re not as good. For instance, you can hide in the cafeteria’s kitchen — if you haul two shelves up to the counter and hold them, zombies won’t push them back and will just grumble in disappointment.
You can also hide in ventilation. Crawling through there is difficult for both humans and zombies, and the very frustrating part is that it’s very slow. There’s room for one only, and if there are more, someone could get bitten. To speed the process, you can climb while constantly jumping. The method is strange but works.
Every army needs a leader. If one exists, it’s possible to assemble such a horde.
Haunted
It’s practically a country resort — countryside, a dam, a house with a cellar. This map is very atmospheric and encourages contemplation. What is a zombie corpse doing on a table in the cellar? Why are electrodes attached to it? And the zombie corpse in a cage on the upper floor — yet another test subject? Nearby — a person leaning against the wall, a pool of blood, including above his head, a gun next to him — apparently, nerves failed them. A crater appeared from either a gas explosion or artillery shelling... Contemplate in your free time.
The main shelter here is the roof, which one can access from two second-floor windows. From there, you can control both the street and the house through the windows. However, an attack from two sides (with two windows at a sufficient distance apart) can quickly eliminate all the living. Humans also invented a way to climb onto the garage roof by jumping from a shovel and cart, but if the zombies drag a box up there, they can bite at the heel. You can also hide in the restroom, as there are two entrances, but they’re narrow, and zombies will inevitably expose their heads. You can also hide in the house by the river (you'll find a headcrab in a pot). Here there’s only one entrance, but you can break a window, although zombies in a bloody frenzy usually charge in from the door, where they get shot in the head.
In the cellar, there’s an AK (to the left of the cellar entrance), a magnum (to the right of the bar in a crack), and ammo (at the body’s feet, by the cisterns on the left).
Important note: greed is bad. If you pack your backpack out of principle — “All mine!” you will, firstly, soon tire out and walk like a turtle. Secondly, the unused weapon you hoarded could save someone else’s life. Remember, Zombie Panic is a team game.
On the first floor, to the right of the entrance, slightly ahead, there's a destructible wall with a corpse and some armor. There, right at the main entrance, behind a barricade, lies an MP5. A real hunt unfolds for possession of it. If you turn right into the kitchen, you’ll find a grenade and some lethal junk like a hammer. If you turn left, you’ll discover a shotgun.
Another shotgun with ammo lies by the cage on the second floor. Two grenades are located near the second, hidden exit to the roof.
In addition to the house, you can find weapons near the house by the river. Inside the house — there’s an automatic gun, around it ammo of all kinds (that spawn randomly at the beginning of the level), and melee weapons (also random), while the journey could yield a revolver.
Zombies respawn on the platforms around the house and in the water (marked by red circles on the map). Thus, in the cellar, as well as in the house by the river, they can attack nearly continually. But with a revolver, humans can often withstand it.
Silence
Judging by the soft-walled rooms in the basement, it was probably a mental hospital. And on the surface, it looks like a solid country mansion. So what if it has a crematorium? People can have different whims. In general, there’s room for your imagination here.
There’s a lot of weapons here, something can be found in almost every room. Humans start right in front of the house. If you turn to the first door on the right, you’ll find a magnum with ammo. If you head into the pantry (the second door on the left), you’ll discover an automatic weapon, ammo, a grenade, and body armor. Everyone tries to break into these rooms at the start. If you turn to the first door on the left, you’ll see a shotgun. If you turn right and then left, you’ll find an exit to the street and a shotgun with ammo. On the first floor, it’s better not to linger, as zombies are actively arriving. On the second floor, we’re interested in the bathroom, where there’s a shotgun and a health pack, and if you dive deeper into the building, you can find two packs of ammo for the automatic weapon behind a table. In the basement, there’s an automatic weapon in a cell and a shotgun in a room resembling a laundry. Besides that, you’ll find a health kit or body armor.
Typically, humans sit on the roof overhang on the second floor, often all 20 of them. But since there are two doors nearby, from which zombies can suddenly pop out, the advantage is equalized.
In the basement, you can hide because, while there’s a zombie spawn point, it activates rarely. Hiding can be done in the laundry room or the crematorium. The latter is simply fantastic. If one climbs into one of the extinguished ovens at the side, they cannot be flushed out from there, even if armed only with a crowbar. When attempting to jump in, zombies get hit on the head and bounce back.*
Bugs and a Bit of Shamanism
Bugs exist in regular games, as well as modifications. Here’s a list of the most well-known and annoying varieties and ways to combat them.
*Upon loading the map, a message appears: “Map N.bsp differs from server’s.”
This error is quite common and can’t be resolved easily. It occurs because there are several versions of the map that are named the same. You downloaded one to play on a specific server and then decided to switch to another, or you changed the edition on the original file. The game connects and tries to reconcile two different terrains, fails, and an error arises. To resolve it, delete all traces of the previous map, including the log (the document included with it will be named something like “zps_town” or “subwaychangelog”). Then the game will see that the map isn’t loaded at all and will begin loading the server’s version.
*Getting stuck in objects (furniture, character).
A fairly common error. To escape from captivity, you need to press movement, jump, crouch, hit, and object-pushing keys. You will crawl out inch by inch.
*All players have the same image.
Occasionally, everyone on a server’s characters will randomly change to a character image (but from the present list). The player whose image got copied needs to rejoin the game or wait until they turn into a zombie.
*The persistent message “Awaiting more players.”
The reason this appears is unclear, but to resolve it, wait for the round to finish or rejoin. This seems to occur only for one person on the server.
*When minimized using Alt+tab, the game crashes.
There’s no cure. Just don’t minimize it. However, there is about a 15% chance it won’t crash, but then the menu will shift to the upper left corner of the screen, and instead of the main menu image, there will be an image from Half-life 2.
*In spectator mode, the camera does not work correctly — it gets stuck in place or in the floor and does not move.
It’s believed this happens because players turn Zombie Vision on and off too many times. Restarting does not solve it, as nothing changes. Usually, everything returns to normal after changing the map.
*Menu buttons are incorrectly displayed.
It's likely that Steam doesn’t support the Russian language in the interface. To fix it — set it to English. (Settings > Interface > Language).
Shamanism
This discussion falls into the realm of fantasy. If the server you want to join is full, an automatic matchmaking is usually triggered while waiting for a free slot, after which potential players and zombies go to sip tea and wait for a spot to open up. But often, it takes too long to trigger! There’s a clever trick — set the game to automatic matchmaking, then click “refresh” and “join” about 5 times in a row. The probability of an instant connection is about 85%. Maybe it’s a bug, maybe they haven’t refined this process, but the mechanism works about 8-9 times out of 10. Give it a try — maybe you’ll get lucky as well.
In conclusion — where can one obtain the modification? It can be downloaded from the official website http://www.zombiepanic.org/site/index.php. Join the ranks of survivors or zombies. Perhaps it is in your capabilities to change the balance of power? And may the world yield to you.